Over one month in October 2017, 16 artists transformed the building and fence surrounding Ground Floor Farm into Stuart's newest public art exhibit, The Mural Project at Ground Floor Farm.
LEAH VOSS/TCPALM

What was once a lifeless fence surrounding Ground Floor Farm’s fields of green has been transformed into a colorful canvas by 16 local and international artists.

Paint hit the wood morning, noon and night throughout October, sometimes by a brush, other times through a nozzle.

One artist used a drill and installed marbles. Another's favorite medium is glitter. Creativity in all forms was welcome for the urban farm's Mural Project.

“Art is really important to us,” said Jackie Vitale, co-owner of Ground Floor Farm. “We feel like healthy food is one way to grow your community and education is another way to grow your community and art is another, just as important, way to grow your community.”

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Louichyz Labastida, of Port St Lucie, spray paints his mural "Feel Free" on Oct. 14 at Ground Floor Farm in Stuart. Labastida, who began spray painting graffiti letters when he was 12, describes his mural as a harmonious relationship between man and nature. (Photo: LEAH VOSS/TCPALM)

The project was funded by Edward Jones, based in St. Louis, and dozens of area residents who sponsored the artists selected from a pool of 45.

“It’s a great local business and a really cool concept,” said sponsor James Abarquez, a financial advisor for Edward Jones’ downtown Stuart office. “I think the art itself will add a little color and beauty.”

For many of the creators, the murals are personal.

Ashely Gutierrez, of Hobe Sound, was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and saw the project as an opportunity to bring awareness to mental health through her painting, “Through the Eyes of a Bipolar.”

“I feel like people with mental health issues are often discarded as criminals and bad and it really can be beautiful because we’re believers and dreamers and I just want people to be more aware of that,” Gutierrez said.

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Ashley Gutierrez, of Hobe Sound, painted a mural titled "Through the Eyes of a Bipolar", focusing on the journey of mental illness. (Photo: LEAH VOSS/TCPALM)

“They’re an important part for our local ecosystem and for our tourism,” Carlsson said. “We’d like to keep them protected so as many people as possible can enjoy them.”

Carlsson is a goliath grouper activist and attends many meetings in support of them. Now, she can educate the public through her semi-permanent mural.

One of the youngest artists, Caroline Rousse, of Palm City, is 14. Her mural, “Butterfly Garden,” was inspired by a visit to the farm.

“We were walking in the chicken coops and I saw three different butterflies and then I turned around and saw flowers and saw it all coming together,” Caroline said. “My mural is about how life all comes together in different forms. Plants, animals, everything comes together in some way.”

Featured artist Marga Doek, of Helsinki, Finland, has had a working relationship with Ground Floor Farm since 2014, when she began designing its logos, but made her first visit to the farm to paint her mural, "The Elements," on its building.

“It was just a big canvas waiting for something,” Doek said. “It’s based on one of the logos I’ve made. It’s all about the sky, the water, the earth, everything, really, that Ground Floor Farm really values."

Eventually, those same elements will be the demise of these creations, until a new batch of artists continues the legacy the group began with another round of murals.

Annalise Buncy, 12, (from left), Melody McAfee, 12, and Madeleine Simoneaux, 12, all of Jensen Beach, take photos for Instagram on Nov. 3 at the opening party for the Mural Project at Ground Floor Farm in Stuart.
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